The characteristics and efficacy of educational nurse-led interventions in the management of children with atopic dermatitis - An integrative review.

OBJECTIVE:This integrative review investigates the modalities, characteristics, and efficacy of educational nurse-led interventions for parents of children with atopic dermatitis (AD). METHODS:We conducted an integrative review with the following inclusion criteria: Quantitative, qualitative and mixed-method studies written in English or German and published between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2021. We searched for entirely nurse-led interventions. RESULTS:Four RCTs, three pre-post studies without control groups, and one post-test study without control group met the inclusion criteria. Nurse-led interventions were found to have medium to large positive effect sizes on disease severity, and none to large positive effects on quality of life. There was significant heterogeneity across study designs with a wide variety in educational interventions and outcome measures used. The quality of most included studies was low. CONCLUSION:Nurse-led educational interventions for parents of children with AD are beneficial in reducing disease severity. However, it remains unclear, which main components of the nurse-led intervention are most effective. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS:Based on the results of this review, we think that trained and qualified nurses who are part of the entire treatment of children with AD and do as well educational interventions have the greatest potential to improve outcomes.